Inhalers are commonly used to deliver drugs into the lung of a patient in need thereof. Different types of inhalers have been developed and are available on the market, amongst which dry powder inhalers (DPIs) are becoming attractive in the treatment of various respiratory problems such as asthma, bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and for the delivery of non-asthma drugs delivered via inhalation.
In dry powder inhalers, the dose of medicament is present in dry powder form and usually pre-packed in a capsule. Blister-based dry powder inhalers are also known.
In capsule-based dry powder inhalers, a capsule is placed into a capsule chamber of the inhaler before inhalation and opened, e.g. by piercing the capsule at its ends. Subsequently, the patient inhales through a nosepiece or mouthpiece whereupon an inhalation airflow is generated within the inhaler. The medicament in dry powder form is released from the capsule, entrained into the inhalation airflow and inhaled by the patient.
For dose consistency, it is desirable that as much as possible of the dose of medicament is released from the capsule, inhaled by the patient and delivered to the site of action in the lung. Moreover it is desirable to break down the particle size of the medicament in dry powder form contained in the capsule in order to enable a good absorption of the medicament in the lung.
Medicaments in dry powder form contained in capsules usually consist of a blend of the active ingredient and a bulking agent, e.g. lactose. The powder blend is usually present in form of big agglomerates which are usually a mixture of big and small particles. However, big agglomerates often show a poor release from the capsule and/or a poor lung uptake. Thus, in conventional dry powder inhalers it is desired to break and/or de-agglomerate larger particles into smaller, breathable particles prior or during inhalation in order to allow for an efficient release from the capsule as well as an efficient lung uptake. Particles with a size of not more than 5 μm are believed to be particularly advantageous for an efficient lung uptake.
One approach of breaking down/de-aggregate big agglomerates inside the capsule during inhalation is to set the capsule into motion thereupon causing impacts between the capsule and the capsule chamber, whereby stronger impacts are believed to lead to a better breakdown of the powder particles and consequently to a more efficient release from the capsule.
Pending European Patent Application No. 15191215.1 describes an improved dry powder inhaler for delivering a dose of medicament in dry powder form from a container to a patient in need thereof. The inhaler comprises first and second airflow paths which are arranged such that during inhalation, a capsule having a longitudinal axis and first and second end sections delimiting the capsule on opposing ends located in the capsule chamber performs an oscillating movement in the capsule chamber parallel to its longitudinal axis between first and the second sidewall portions of the capsule chamber. The particles of the medicament inhaled by the patient are too large to enable an optimal absorption in the lung of the patient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an inhaler device that overcomes the problems associated with the devices of the prior art, and further improves the airflow of the device. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inhaler device that improves the deagglomeration of the particles in which the medicament is contained.